Thinking About It
by MerAngel
Summary: Katara remembers how she fell for Aang and was his friend and all that. Kataang. Note: She's thinking about this after Sozin's comet.
1. Chapter 1

.: Thinking About It :.

Memories. They fueled the subconscious mind. I was having many memories. The first was one that took place in the South Pole. The hugest ice bergs ever seen drifted peacefully through the water. But, underneath, a great danger lies. Many a canoe had been smashed by ice. But one ice berg was different.

_The glow blinded me for a second. Then I saw the silhouette of…someone trapped in the ice. I wondered what had happened for whoever it was to become trapped inside. The person opened their eyes! They had a bluish glow, like the light that was coming from it. "They're alive!" I cried. I grabbed Sokka's club and scrambled forward to reach the perfectly round ice berg. I swung the club, smashing it open. Steam burst out. So did a light that made all the animals wake up and roar. The person stood up and wobbled uncertainly at the top of a hill of ice. The glow faded from their eyes as they slipped down. I ran forward to catch them. I realized it was a boy. He had an arrow on his head and hands. When he blinked open his eyes, I felt so relieved. "Come closer..." he whispered hoarsely. "I have to ask you something important." I leaned in to hear him. "What?" I asked distressed he wouldn't make it. His eyes shot open with a great brightness in them. "Will you go penguin sledding with me?" That's how I met the avatar._


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Fortune Teller

We had made our way to a small camp on the side of a river once. Sokka had a problem with a fish and we took a turn into a town that was filled with people who believed in a great fortune teller.

"_That fish is taunting me!" Sokka wailed. He ran for his fishing pole. He waved the pole a couple of times, trying to cast the line. "Where's my fishing line?" he cried. Aang looked guilty. "Oh sorry," he said. "I thought you wouldn't mind. I made it into a necklace." He held it up to Sokka almost proudly. "Aw, it's all tangled." Sokka moaned._

"_Not tangled. Woven." Aang turned to me and smiled. "I figured since you lost your other one…" He beamed and held it up. It was really pretty. I said thanks and put it around my neck. Aang watched as Sokka ran after the fish, splashing and cursing. "How do I look?" I asked, turning to see the reaction on Sokka and Aang's faces. Sokka didn't see because he was too busy trying to grab the fish, but Aang saw. He looked as though he had been hit on the head and hadn't noticed yet. He pulled at his collar awkwardly. "You mean all of you or just your neck? Because, I mean, both look great." He complimented while a blush formed on his cheeks. Just then, Sokka called from the water, "Kissy kissy, looks like somebody's in love." The fish he was holding then slapped him in the face and swam off. "No," I said. "Aang's just a good friend. Just like Momo." I petted Momo's fuzzy head to prove my point. Aang looked like a kicked puppy but I put it out of my mind._

_Later, we found Aunt Wu's house. Inside, a girl came up and offered us some food. She was kind. She introduced herself as Maang. Another woman came out looking overjoyed. "Aunt Wu said that my true love would give me a rare Panda Lily!" she cried jubilantly. Maang smiled and said, "I wonder if my true love will give me a rare flower?" She looked over her shoulder at Aang. That left me a little unsettled. The woman chuckled and said, "Is that the big eared boy that Aunt Wu said you'd marry?" Maang pushed the woman away, embarrassed. Aunt Wu came in then and asked who wanted to have their fortune told. I was the first one to go. We sat down in front of a fire. Aunt Wu took my hand and complimented me on my smooth skin. I offered to show her the lotion I used when she gasped and said, "You will marry a powerful bender." That made my heart pound harder than I thought it ever would._

_I was wrong. Aang and Sokka came to me saying something about the volcano erupting. That was impossible. Aunt Wu had predicted that the village would be safe. We came up with a plan to shape the clouds to the shape of volcanic disaster. We stood on Appa, trying to shape the clouds and not fall off. It was a beautiful afternoon with the sun melting into the horizon. Too bad the village might be destroyed. The lava almost got past the trenches we dug. I thought it would be over. Aang came to the rescue. He leapt atop a rock and cooled the lava with an icy breath. It was rock before my very eyes. "You know," Sokka was saying. "I sometimes forget what a powerful bender that kid is." I stopped and looked up the boy I'd always like as a little brother. Did Aunt Wu mean…nah._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Cave of Two Lovers

My mind wanders back to a day when it was dark. Literally. We were trapped in a winding labyrinth. I never thought I would have gotten so close to…well I'll just explain.

_The tomb wasn't frightening. It was sad. We went down to look at the carvings. I read the story out loud. It was a pretty sweet tale. When I was finished Aang was turning around to stare at something. I followed his path of vision to see an enormous statue of Oma and Shu kissing with a carving that read, "Love is brightest in the dark". I had an idea. It was crazy and awkward and, I don't know, weird. I decided to explain my idea to Aang. _

"_Where are you going with this?"_

_I blushed. "What if we…kissed?"_

_We were trying to relieve it by joking but then things took a turn for the worse. Aang had made a simple mistake and it looked like he regretted saying he definitely wouldn't want to kiss me. I felt hurt and annoyed. "Oh," I said coldly. "I didn't know kissing me was such a terrible option." He shook his head. "No!" he pleaded. "I'm saying I'd rather kiss you than die, that's a compliment!" I turned my back to him in anger. Then I whirled around and shoved the torch into his hands. "Well I'm not sure which I'd rather do!" I retorted. I marched away in fury._

"_We're going to run out of light any second now, aren't we? What do we do?"_

"_What can we do?"_

_My anger was forgotten. I placed a hand over his at the base of the torch. As the light began to dim, I leaned in closer to him. We were so close by the time the lights went out that we could have banged heads. My lips just almost touched his when the crystals on the ceiling illuminated everything. So that's what it meant by love is brightest in the dark. I couldn't believe I'd almost kissed Aang. _


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Headband

Hiding in a cave in the Fire Nation. Sounds like fun huh?

"_I call the silk robe!" I shouted. I ran forward and plucked it off the clothing line. I changed behind a rock, pulling off my water tribe clothes and changing into my Fire Nation clothes. I did my hair in the way that I had seen in a painting of a young Fire Nation girl. I came out. "How do I look?" Everyone smiled and said I looked good. Aang blushed. I was reminded of a beach on the side of river where Sokka desperately went after a fish. Then Aang's face went serious again. "Your mother's necklace." I pulled it off and held it in my hand. I felt so sad to be holding it there. I hid it and we went to find some accessories for our outfits. While we were in a shop, Aang was taken. We waited for him in the cave. Then he came running in. "Where were you?" we asked. Aang was burned slightly so I thought he had a run in with soldiers. "I was playing with some kids after school." Aang explained. Sokka sat up angrily. "After WHAT?!" he shrieked. _

"_I enrolled in a Fire Nation school."_

"_Enrolled in WHAT?!"_

"_And I'm going back tomorrow."_

_With that, Sokka fainted._

_Aang was supposed to bring his parents to talk with the headmaster after school. Sokka and I dressed up and tried to act like parents. It seemed disturbingly easy for me, but Sokka was having trouble. Afterward's Aang said he had a plan to set the kid's spirits free. "I'm going to throw them a secret dance party!" he proposed with a grin. Sokka's frown deepened. "Go to your room!" he commanded._

"_Who knew Twinkle Toes could dance?" Toph said. I smiled. I watched the crowds. I saw Aang go up to a girl named Onji. He showed her how to dance. They were dancing side by side in perfect harmony. "They look good together." Sokka commented. I shrugged. "Eh, if you think that." I turned away. I couldn't believe how jealous I sounded just then. Then Aang broke free of the crowd and held out his hand. "Oh," I said. "I'd love to but these shoes weren't meant for dancing and I…" He cut me off. "Trust me." I smiled and nodded. He pulled me to my feet. Aang dragged me out to the middle of the crowd. He instructed me how to do the dance and we started. Everyone around us paused and stared. I felt nervous. "Aang. Everyone's staring." I said. He gave me a smile. "It doesn't matter. It's just you and me right now." I trusted him. It was an energetic dance that left us both gasping for breath as Aang caught me and supported my weight for the dip at the end of the dance. There was cheering all around us. I hardly regarded it. I was in a blissful moment. But then the headmaster and his guards came and ruined it all. As we flew away, I was having a weird churning feeling. All through the dance it had been small, but now it was growing larger. "That was some dance party." I said. I kissed Aang on the cheek and he blushed a nice shade of pink._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Invasion

I don't think there was a tenser day than the Day of Black Sun.

"_Katara I…"_

"_Aang I…"_

"_You go first."_

_I was scared and proud. Today could be the day we won the war. I admitted to Aang how proud I was of him. I could have used words that summed it up better, but it didn't matter then. _

"_What if I," He started anxiously. "What if I don't come back?"_

"_Oh, Aang you…"_

_I was cut off by him. Aang kissed me. My heart felt like it would burst out of my chest it was pounding so hard. I closed my eyes for a moment. He backed away, gave me a look of determination and took off into the sky. I was blushing hard and a hurricane of feelings was whirling inside me. I needed a second to think, but we were in the middle of an invasion. I can't explain how much it hurt._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Play

It was like looking in a twisted mirror. The Katara onstage was nothing like me…and everything like me.

_I watched in excitement as the scene opened up to two young water tribe kids paddling a canoe. The actress playing me went into a "moany" speech about hope and my face fell. "Well!" I huffed angrily. When the woman playing Aang came onstage, I could see his annoyance through the dark. Toph laughed hard. Suki did the same. We watched through the whole first part of the play. The scene before the intermission was a portrayal of Aang going into the avatar state at the North Pole. They acted like it was a fun experience. For me, it had been a scary happening. Aang was not himself, Yue died and the whole Northern Water Tribe was torn apart. After that, the audience applauded. We went outside. I tried to keep on the bright side, but it was hard. When the second part of the play started up, I was shocked to see their version of my time in the crystal catacombs. I was embarrassed. But then, the voice floating up from the stage laughed, "The avatar? Why he's like a little brother to me! I certainly don't think of him in a romantic way." I wanted to say that was true, but was it? I sometimes thought to myself 'What if?' My heart and head shouted different things._

'_You love him!'_

'_Not in that way, right'_

'_Listen to your heart Katara!'_

'_Listen to your head'_

_No!_

_Aang left. I tilted my head away from the play to try and make sense of the war inside me, but I couldn't recover my bearings._

_I went to find Aang. The full moon filled me with power and confidence usually, but today I felt confused. _

"_If I had unblocked my chakra I could be in the avatar state right now!" Aang said angrily._

_We were silent. He explained the block. I wanted to cry. He had to let me go to save the world? I shouldn't have been distressed. I should have approached it logically. Aggh! I had to explain what I was feeling! But he wouldn't understand! I did my best to explain, but he obviously didn't understand. He kissed me quickly and gently. I pulled back. He had made things more complicated. I was hurt and angry and more confused than I'd ever been. "I just said I was confused!" I said irritably. There was a bit of silence between us. He just stared at me with the kicked puppy look. "I'm going inside." I said as I rushed away. It was all ruined. I came back in teary eyed. Toph stood in front of me. "Whoa, Katara, is something wrong?" I clenched my teeth. "Why would you think something's wrong?!" I cried. "You don't understand!" I ran for my seat. I settled in my seat. From behind me, Sokka's voice said, "Are you okay?" _

"_I'm fine." I sniffed._

"_You're not. Tell me what happened."_

"_You couldn't possibly help me Sokka, so just butt out!"_

_I wanted to turn around to see Aang's expression but I knew it would only be like putting a knife through his heart. Not to mention one through mine. The invasion started. The two actresses playing me and Aang were standing on top of the submarines. The actress me said something like, "Aang, know that I will always love you. Like a brother." I never said that, but I should have. Just to clear the air. But then Aang wouldn't have kissed me. It was a feeling I didn't want to give up. I touched my lips briefly. Tears were coming. 'No!' cried my head. 'Be strong.' I couldn't. I put my head to my lap to let the tears fall. After everything, I wanted to not conceal the feelings I had been feeling for so long. 'Aang' I thought sadly. 'I love you more than a brother.'_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I return to the real world. I'm watching the sunset over Ba Sing Se. I'm holding onto Aang's hand. "Um…Katara? You kind of tuned out there." I turned to him and smiled. "I was just thinking about you."


End file.
